Restructuring Proposals Draw Praise, Rejection

RICHMOND — The State Council of Higher Education praised the College of William and Mary's restructuring plan Tuesday, and sent officials from Christopher Newport University back to the drawing board.

The council, which is reviewing plans designed to make Virginia's colleges and universities more efficient, said CNU's plan needs to be more specific.

``In general, the plan needs to be revised to become a plan for restructuring actions, rather than a plan to plan,'' the council said in written comments released Tuesday.

``We thought we were doing the right thing,'' said Bill Brauer, Christopher Newport's vice president for administration and finance. ``But that comment made sense when we went back and looked at how we phrased things.''

Christopher Newport officials have since revised their plan, Brauer said, strengthening the language and making their intentions clearer. He said the university will be ready to submit a revised version to the council by Oct. 21.

Christopher Newport's plan called for studying ways to make itself more efficient, including eliminating courses, having professors take on administrative duties and holding classes on weekends.

Last spring, Gov. George Allen and the General Assembly asked state-supported colleges and universities to develop the restructuring plans by Sept. 1. Allen has since said that schools that submit satisfactory plans may avoid budget cuts next year.

Some universities, like Christopher Newport, started from scratch, developing restructuring plans over the summer. Others, like William and Mary, were already working on comprehensive plans and simply submitted those to the state.

William and Mary's plan calls for eliminating six graduate programs, as well as several other graduate courses and two intercollegiate sports. There would also be a 10 percent cut in administrative costs over three years. Any savings in money and faculty time would be used to bolster other graduate and undergraduate programs.

The council called William and Mary's a ``sound, well-written plan that proposes change within the context of the mission and character of the institution.''

The council is scheduled to approve or disapprove each restructuring plan on Nov. 8, then submit them to Gov. Allen and the General Assembly by the time they begin making budget decisions in December.